Bradford Northern (now Bulls) formed in 1907 and played at several grounds before Odsal Stadium was opened in 1934 Before that date the hollow was a … [11], After Bradford City won the Division Two championship in 1907–08, the club hurried through a reconstruction programme of the ground to prepare for the club's first season in Division One. Other minor work was carried out to the ground's other two stands. It has also been home to Bradford (Park Avenue) for one season, and Bradf… [38] Bradford City's annual rent bill in 2011 to Gibb's pension fund is £370,000. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. However, after City's 5–1 defeat by Manchester United on 10 February 1906, United player Bob Bonthron was attacked as he left the ground. [29] The ground was used for reserve team fixtures from September 1985, but only journalists and club officials were present to watch. Bradford Bulls acting CEO Mark Sawyer says that the club are close to putting their proposed return to Odsal Stadium plan to the RFL Executive Board and that progress is moving along nice and steadily. Bradford Bulls will leave their Odsal home at the end of the season and ground-share with fellow Championship club Dewsbury. The ground was officially opened on 27 September 1886 for a game against Wakefield Trinity which was watched by a capacity crowd, but construction work meant most of Manningham's early games were away fixtures. Sun 18th April | 15:00 Tetley's Stadium, You can still purchase via www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/shop, Highlights | Bradford Bulls vs Swinton Lions, TWO FIXTURES CHANGED FOR OURLEAGUE COVERAGE, BETFRED WOMEN'S SUPER LEAGUE RETURNS IN APRIL, SANDERSON TO DEBUT AS JOHN KEAR NAMES 24-MAN SQUAD. [57] The Bradford side had secured the Division Three title the week before when they defeated Bolton Wanderers 2–0. [55][56] In March 2008, the club announced that the TL Dallas Stand would be made available for home fans for the 2008–09 season. [4][31] Richmond continued his plans to redevelop the ground as City continued to rise through the league. Bradford Bulls. Sun 4th April | 12:45 Keepmoat Stadium, Halifax Panthers (H)
[66], Valley Parade hosted its first international football game just two months after its first Football League match. The smoke was choking. Telephone: 0333 323 5075. [2] The stadium includes 134 seats for media representatives. The BEST beekeeping tool that you've probably never heard of! [78] The lowest attendance for a league home match at Valley Parade is 1,249, on 15 May 1981, for a Division Four fixture with Hereford United. The club have signed a … The first association football game to be played at Valley Parade was a promotional fixture on 6 April 1903 between a side of West Yorkshire footballers and Sheffield United's 1903 FA Cup winning side. The date they left their famous Odsal stadium after 85 years. [26] Forensic scientist David Woolley believed the cause of the fire was from a discarded cigarette or match, which had dropped through gaps between the seating to a void below the stand where rubbish had built up. Email: info@bradfordbulls.co.uk. Those are the words no Bradford Bulls fan ever wanted to hear uttered in regard to Odsal Stadium, their home for 85 years. Telephone: 0333 323 5075. Email: info@bradfordbulls.co.uk Built in 1886, it was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association football and became Bradford City. The game's governing bodies wanted to promote the sport in the West Riding of Yorkshire, so chose Valley Parade to host a game between an English League side and an Irish League side, despite the ground not being up to standard. [26], The old wooden roof of the stand was due to be replaced the day after the Lincoln match, because it did not meet the safety regulations required for Division Two, where the team would be playing in the following season. [2][41][42][43] In July 2019 it was re-sponsored and renamed the Utilita Energy Stadium. Bradford Bulls announce the signing of NRL centre Keith Lulia from the Newcastle Knights on a 2-year deal. [24] It also included the introduction of floodlights in English football. Ticket Line: 0333 323 5075 - option 1. BRADFORD Bulls have announced they will leave their long-standing Odsal home at the end of the current season and move to Dewsbury Rams’ Tetley’s Stadium.. [76] The record gate receipts that Bradford City have received are £181,990 for the Premier League game with Manchester United on 13 January 2001. You can hear more about the latest news regarding Odsal Stadium on the Rugby League Rocks show this coming Sunday on West Yorkshire Radio. Football architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to design new terracing in the paddock—a standing area in front of the 5,300-seater main stand which was built in 1908—and build a Spion Kop at the north side of the ground and an 8,000-capacity stand at the Midland Road end opposite the main stand. [49], The Sunwin Stand has further room for expansion,[35] and is unusual because it only runs three-quarters of the length of the pitch. It has also been home to Bradford (Park Avenue) for one season, and Bradford Bulls rugby league side for two seasons, as well as host to a number of England youth team fixtures. Bradford Bulls are set to start their Championship campaign by playing home games at Dewsbury Rams’ Tetley’s Stadium but are close to finalising a deal to return to Odsal by late May or early June. It was to be our day. Photograph: Dave Howarth/PA Tue 3 Jan 2017 13.22 EST The first match after work was finished took place on Christmas Day 1908, when 36,000 fans saw City host Bristol City. [1] The new ground and the road it was built upon both adopted the name of the local area, Valley Parade, a name deriving from the steep hillside below Manningham. [1][2][7] The land was previously a quarry, and formed part of a greater site owned by Midland Railway Company. Bradford Bulls acting CEO Mark Sawyer says that the club are close to putting their proposed return to Odsal Stadium plan to the RFL Executive Board and that progress is moving along nice and steadily. [20] Six years later, the stand had to be demolished for a second time because of continuing foundation problems. [25], On 11 May 1985, one of the worst sporting disasters occurred at Valley Parade, 56 people died and at least 265 were injured when the main stand was engulfed by fire. The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, currently playing in the Championship. Odsal Stadium, Odsal, Bradford. Once known as the Wembley … L. Leeds Rhinos Under-18s. Bradford Bulls acting CEO Mark Sawyer says that the club are close to putting their proposed return to Odsal Stadium plan to the RFL Executive Board and that progress is moving along nice and steadily. The rest of this side is taken up by a brick building, situated in the south west corner of the stadium, which houses the club changing rooms and the security offices. [53], Visiting team fans sat in the TL Dallas Stand from 1995 to 2008,[54] but have also been given other parts of the ground for larger matches. The Bradford Bulls Foundation. Bradford's 2021 campaign started with a 22-26 loss in the first pre-season friendly against Swinton Lions, first half tries from Brandon Pickersgill and Ross Oakes with two conversions from Danny Brough gave the Bulls a 12-6 lead at half time however further tries from George Flanagan and Matty Dawson-Jones could not prevent a loss. - Duration: 32:54. [1][26][61] At least 265 further supporters were injured. Season Review. The fire started 40 minutes into the club's final game of the 1984–85 season against Lincoln City and destroyed the main stand in just nine minutes. Urban Ghosts Urban Exploration Recommended for you The Bradford Northern Club; formed in 1907, had played a number of venues until the early 1920s, when they began to search for their own site. [27] Huddersfield-based firm J Wimpenny carried out the £2.6 million work, which included funding from insurance pay-outs, Football League stadium grants, club funds and a £1.46 million Government loan obtained by two Bradford MPs, Geoffrey Lawler and Max Madden. [30], The two stands which were not altered after the fire were both improved during the 1990s. The takings from the game totalling £115 were distributed to Coyle's family and the families of other boys injured in the incident. More … [19], On 17 March 1932, Bradford City paid Midland Railway Company £3,750 for the remaining two-thirds of the site to become outright owners of the ground, which was now 45 years old. [16] The total project cost £9,958,[17] and raised the capacity to 40,000. [9] The improvements allowed Bradford City to set their record attendance of 39,146 on 11 March 1911 against Burnley during the club's FA Cup winning run. Consequently, they bought one-third of the Valley Parade site in Manningham,[4] taking a short-term lease out on the rest of the land in time to play there for the 1886–87 season. July 2011. The roof of the Kop, which was the largest safe-standing terrace in the country at the time,[32] was removed and the capacity reduced during City's 1998–99 promotion season, to prepare for a summer £6.5 million rebuilding programme. [4] Once the work was completed, a second tier was added to the main stand at the cost of £6.5 million. The fire spread the length of the stand, and timber and the roof began to fall onto the crowds. The Kop,[45] was the former standing area, and its name was derived, like at many stadia across the country, from the Battle of Spion Kop. Now, he wants to help take the Bulls back to Super League. The Bulls started September with a hard fought 25–18 win over Halifax Blue Sox, a late Paul Deacon drop goal secured the points for Bradford. [26][59] Club chairman Stafford Heginbotham, who was in the main stand, described the effect and his reaction to the disaster: "The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. Bradford played the last game at Odsal Stadium against Sheffield Eagles on 1 September 2019. [23], During the period from 1908 to 1985, the club carried out a number of other lesser work to the rest of the ground. "All of a sudden, a sheet of flame went up to the roof and along the entire length of the stand. This explore was a pretty decent one for me, their was moments i forgot to film most of the stuff because i was taking it all in. Tel: 0333 323 5075 (Option 5) info@bullsfoundation.org. Enquiry. info@bullsfoundation.org. [5] Other under-18 fixtures have been played since, the last of which was between England and Belgium in November 2000. Emerald Headingley Stadium. The storm clouds have gathered over Bradford Bulls’ Odsal stadium and a rugby league institution is no more. [20] The stadium had remained virtually unchanged since 1908, and did so until 1952,[9][17] when the capacity of the ground was reduced after examinations of the foundations were ordered following the 1946 Burnden Park disaster. [84] They are Bradford Interchange, which is also the city's main bus terminus,[85] and 1 mile (2 km) away from the ground,[86] and Bradford Forster Square,[84] which is 0.6 miles (1 km) away from the ground. Over the next 20 years the ground hosted a number of other representative games, including an England international trial, the 1904 FA Amateur Cup Final and an under-15s schoolboy international between England and Scotland. A new 5,000 all-seater main stand was built, longer than the structure which had burned down. The highest attendance at Valley Parade, as it is now, was against Reading in the 2015 FA Cup Quarter-finals. Bradford are edging closer to a return to Odsal as they finalise their application to take the 12th spot in Super League for 2021. [4] Bradford City's senior team played home games at other grounds in West Yorkshire for 19 months while Valley Parade was rebuilt. [4], The total capacity of Valley Parade is 25,136. Bradford kicked off the 2000 season with a 32–4 win over Huddersfield Giants in the 4th Round of the Challenge Cup, the Bulls followed this win up by smashing Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 46–0 in the 5th Round. [83] The highest crowd for a Bradford Northern fixture at Valley Parade was 20,973 on 13 February 1926 for a Challenge Cup game against Keighley, which finished 2–2. Built in 1886, it was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association football and became Bradford City. March 2000. [34][35], Richmond also planned to increase the main stand's capacity by a further 1,800 seats by building new changing rooms and office blocks, and add a second tier to the Midland Road stand, to increase the ground capacity to more than 35,000. "[60] The game was stopped, and the wooden roof caught fire. The Kop was converted into a two-tier 7,500-seat capacity stand. [2] In 2000, as part of the expansion of Valley Parade, the club drew up a green transport plan in a bid to ease traffic congestion around the ground. [29], More than £3.5 million (£10.7 million today) was raised for victims of the fire and their families through the Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund. It was opened in 2001, increasing the main stand's capacity to 11,000, and the ground's capacity to 25,000. [59] Ultimately, the fire killed 56 spectators, ranging from 11-year-old children to the 86-year-old former chairman of the club, Sam Firth. The Kop was also covered for the first time and increased to a 7,000 capacity. [10][11] The new football club, Bradford City, were elected to The Football League's Division Two the following month. In fact, I think it was timed at 4min 35sec. Key to moving back to their iconic home in Bradford is making the historic site a multi-use venue and the return of stock car racing is one of several plans in the pipeline. A VISIT to Odsal Stadium could be back on the cards for Warrington Wolves next season. The JCT600 Stand is the ground's main stand, and is often called the latter by fans, but is also known as the Sunwin stand owing to the former sponsor. Email: info@bradfordbulls.co.uk Bradford are edging closer to a return to Odsal as they finalise their bid to take the 12th spot in Super League for 2021. [76] The record attendance since the Valley Parade grounds were rebuilt in 1986 (all-seated attendance) is 24,321, set on 7 March 2015 in the 2015 FA Cup Quarter-finals draw against Reading,[77] surpassing the previous record of 23,971, set on 10 December 2012 in the club's 2012–13 Football League Cup Quarter-finals victory over Arsenal. 9:18 [62] The disaster is also marked by an annual remembrance ceremony on 11 May at Bradford City Hall,[65] and an annual Easter-weekend youth tournament, contested between Bradford, Lincoln and other teams from across Europe. [69] The other was against Italy's under-21s 26 March 2002. it ended in a 1 - 1 draw with 21,642 in attendance. The investigation resulted in the closure of half the Midland Road stand. [50] A second function room, called the Bantams Bar, in the Kop, has room for another 300 people. BRADFORD BULLS RLFC. Bradford Bulls fixtures tab is showing last 100 Rugby matches with statistics and win/lose icons. [42] The ground was renamed due to sponsorship as the Northern Commercials Stadium in July 2016 but was still commonly known throughout football as Valley Parade. But it was not until 6 April 1987 that the ground hosted another international when England under-18s drew 1–1 with Switzerland. [4][52] From early 2010, the area near the store will also include a dental surgery, which will be run by NHS Bradford and Airedale in partnership with the football club. Bradford Bulls are set to start their Championship campaign by playing home games at Dewsbury Rams’ Tetley’s Stadium but are close to finalising a deal to return to Odsal by late May or early June. The club has agreed a two-year lease to play at Tetley Stadium in Dewsbury.The rugby league venue has an existing capacity of … Select from premium Bradford Bulls of the highest quality. [58] The score was still 0–0 after 40 minutes of the game,[58] when a small fire was noticed three rows from the back near one end of the main stand. [18] The work was not completed until midway through the 1908–09 season. [4] It was first used for a Yorkshire derby against Sheffield United on Boxing Day 1996, before being officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 27 March 1997. The game had been organised to stimulate interest in the sport in Bradford and attracted 8,000 fans. [51] There is also more office space, a club store, ticket office and museum in the car park behind the Kop. BRADFORD BULLS RLFC. [1], The club spent £1,400 appointing designers to oversee the excavation and levelling of the land, and moved a one-year-old stand from Carlisle Road to the highest part of the new ground. The playing field was made of ballast, ashes, soil and sods. Odsal Stadium, the home of Bradford Bulls, has just been bought by the sport's governing body for an undisclosed sum to avoid "predatory approaches", according to … 2–4 Bradford City A.F.C. This explore was a pretty decent one for me, their was moments i forgot to film most of the stuff because i was taking it all in. [6], The record attendance at Valley Parade is 39,146, for Bradford City's FA Cup fourth round tie against Burnley on 11 March 1911. Telephone 0333 323 5075. [70] Valley Parade's next international came seven years later when Bradford City hosted an under-19s European Championship qualifying game, in which England defeated Slovakia 4–1. [1][26] For the next season and the first five months of the 1986–87 season, Bradford City played home games at Leeds United's Elland Road, Huddersfield Town's Leeds Road and Bradford Northern's Odsal Stadium, while Valley Parade was rebuilt. It has been Bradford City's home since, although it is now owned by former chairman Gordon Gibb's pension fund. [19] The highest league attendance of 37,059, was for a Bradford derby match between Bradford City and Bradford (Park Avenue) on 17 September 1927 in Division Three (North). Football stadium in Bradford, home to Bradford City A.F.C. Bradford Bulls’ move from Odsal to a new stadium has been mooted for decades but it now seems the point of no return is here Raynor was later released for a severe breach of club discipline. City's promotion to Division One in 1996 meant that chairman Geoffrey Richmond announced the construction of a 4,500 seater stand on the Midland Road side. The new stand was then the narrowest stand in the league. The Bradford Northern Club; formed in 1907, had played a number of venues until the early 1920s, when they began to search for their own site. Yesterday Odsal Stadium, the Bulls’ home ground … The stand's steel frame was then sold to Berwick Rangers for £450 and a smaller replacement stand was built at Valley Parade in 1954. Also veteran winger Gareth Raynor signed a 1-year extension keeping him at the Bulls for the 2012 season. [8], Manningham RFC continued playing until 1903, when financial difficulties, caused by relegation at the turn of the century,[9] prompted club officials to change codes from rugby football to association football.